Superheater unit



July 20 192 6. E. SUMNER SUPERHEATBR UNIT Filed April s, 1920 INVENTOR ATTORNEY$ UNITEDSTATES PA 1,592,873 TENLT OFFICE.

ELIOT SUMNER, OF NEW Yemen. Y.

SUPERHEATER UNIT.

Application filed A ril 8, 1920. Serial no. 372,228.

This invention relates particularly. to the type ofsuperheaterunit commonlyused in locomotive boilers and in certain styles of stationary boilers, and in which a cluster of steam-pipe sections is mounted within a boilei-iire-tube in the path of the fire-gases thcreimand its object is to simplify and improve such units n respect to the assembly and mounting of the pipe sections thereof.

The accou'ipanying drawings .illustratethe principle ofthe invention showing'it .ap-"

plied in its preferred form. Fig. 1 represents part of an ordinary locomotive boiler withtwo superheater units in place therein. F 2 is a perspective of a single unit broken away in its central part, for-convenience of illustration and Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section of a "unit showing the means for spacing and uniting the pipes.

In Fig. 1, the large pipe 4 delivers steam from the boiler proper to the compartment 3 of a manifold or superheater header. From this compartment the steam flows through each of a group of similar superheater units,- located in the fire-tubes 5, and back to compartment 2 of the header and thence out through the pipe 1 according to the cus ternary arrangement. Each superheater unit consists of several lengths or sections of steam pipe 6 connected together at their ends so as to form a flow path from one header compartment to the other. The steam passing through these pipes is superheated by the hot fire-gases passing from the fire box to the stack 7.

. number is generally preferred though not essential; the diametrically opposite pipes are connected to each 0ther-atthe1r rear ends by the return bends 8; the two upperpipes are connected at their forward ends a by the return bend 9;and theforward ends of the'twolower pipes are upturned as in dicated at 10 for connection to the inlet and outletcompartments Sand 2 above mentioned, thus forminga continuous steam path running back and forth through the fire tube. Such. a path can obviously be formed "by difierent arrangements of the return bend in all whicharrangements this invention is adapted for use as will presently appear. It is important that the pipes constituting the unit shall be so su )ported as to be exposed to the fiow of the hot gases over the entire exterior surface of each pipe, and that their supporting and spacing means shall 'efier In thecase shown, each unit is a cluster of four pipe sections, which spaces apart the other two.

equivalent tying or cross-tying members are first applied to the pipes which they respecminimum obstruction to the gaseous-flow,

and these means must also be permanently secure-when assembled with their pipes so that under the effect of thermalexpansions and vibration and also in" the process of removing and replacing the units, within the larger tubes, they will not work loose and allow the pipes to sag into contact with the fire-tube or each other, which diminishes the surface exposure besides collection of dust and cinders which impairs the gas flow and the efiiciency of the unit.

According to this invention the spacing and uniting devices of the unit are so con1- Lined with the pipes 6 as to utilize their elastic resistance to lateral flexure as'the means ditions. tlpacing means acting on this pri .ciple can e variously formed and applied and can be readily so made as to present a negligible obstruction to the fire-gas flow besides possessing other advantages as will presently appear. The spacing and uniting means shown in the drawing consist of a pair of strap loops 11 and 12. The loop 11 is formed by a piece of strap iron passed around the diagonallyv opposite pipes and between and in contact with the other two pipes and riveted together at its ends. The

tively embrace, the latter are drawn or bent inwardly or toward each other so that their elastic tendency to resume their normal condition of straightness vkeeps the loops or members under tension and this keeps the latter firmlybutnon-rigidly secured in the positions in which they have been put and in great measure eliminates the possibility oftheir working loose, and by such an arrangement the four pipes are bound tightlyand held in proper relation to each other, without the use of any additional connecting pieces, and such band can be made of lighter material than other forms of bands, without sacrificing strength. By the accommodation to thermal contractions and expansions thus provided the assemblyis pract cally perms 05 promoting the 'of keeping the devices tight and thus keepmg the pipes properly located under all conion nent; The couve ient and-simple method oi: V

fixingthe loops in position and under adequate tension, is to bind them around their I in r the loop oith'e th 7 the 'eieg-refe ot tensonu' ail the. members of respective pipes when well separated from each othenlengthwise of the pipes, as indica'ted, for exan'iple. by the dotted line position of the strap 12 n reference to the tull lineistrao 11 ot'Fi 2 and than. (HlVlZlS 'OllG i strapftoward the other along thezpipes until,

a suit-able "de, *ee of tension has been pro- 'duce'd-.-' Pr iablythe loops are" left still ced" from eael-r otherfwhen the A so that at some later. timcltl'iey m V driven. closer together-it li'uitli'er t igl'itening should everfbejrequired.

assemb It may be noted in passingthat the pressurev ot' eaeh pair of pipes upon the mid portion or pair sen-es to equalize their anda-l'so that inasmuch as the strapice the pipes with a minimum: obstruc- It is a further feature oi thefiinvention that theriveted ends of the strap loops can be leftprojecting to form' feet by which the unit rests on the wall of'the'fire-tube.

' Such" feet-are desirable but other forms of feet-could obviously' -be used; Fillers 13 are shewnbetween the riveted endsto providealargerbearing surface but are not iron riyete'd totherespective loops to space {1AA superh'eater: unit comprising grainyof substantiallyparallel"pipes and V V hers maybe used one 'essenti'ah The' two pieces marked 1% in.

Fig.6 are merely short cxtrapi'eces of strap the lower pi pes, somewhat further apart than the upper pipes and the purpose of this greater separation is to -provide an ample escape for cinders which might otherwise lodge and aecumulateinside thepipe cluster. This feature is likewise: desirable, but as will be observedis alsosubordinate to the main idea. It will nowbe obvious that many airs of loops or pipe-connecting memch superheateriunit as i :l'ength and thesr/e and number of steam pipes' iiivthe cluster ma require, Y and that fvarious disposit-ions'oti said ane'n -ibers and different forms i I of will also provide some or all oi the DB2. fitsot the invention is-abovedescribed} All of which are intended to be included indiridualiy aiidcoh lectively in the following claims.

Claims e 'a 'plu means for spacing and unitingthem compri n g' pairs of Linen-Iberia such pairs being pl lfatantervalsalong the lengths ofsardpipes the "members each pair occupying adjacent planes and one member serving to space two pipes apart and the other to pull them together, thereby exerting a bending strain ont-he pipes which retains said memheirs in place.

V 2. Aeuperheater unit comprising a cluster of pipes oc'cimyin g, a fire-tube or passage and means to -spacing apart two of said pipes comprising a strap'loop uniting and held in tension by others of said pipes.

3. A: superheate'r unit comprising a cluster of pipes and means for spacing; said pipes from each other com-prising strap loop i -i g and inwardly stressing; two pipes, aid a second strapioop uniting two pipes a ii nwardl -r stressing one of them against heilrst mentioned strap loop.

. A superheater unit comprising a cluster,

A superheater unit comprisinga cluster of four pipes and means for spacing; them in ed relation comprising two adjacent strap lo each inwardly stressing two diagonal- 1y; ep esirepi es and outwardly stressing thotwo others. 7 7

6'. The method of securing the pipes of superheater unit in fixed relation which comprises assembling on the unit, in longitudinally separate-d positions, a member adapted to resist inward displacement of two of the pipesand' a member adapted to resist. out-ward displacement of said pipes and then setting'up bending); strains in said pipes by forcingsaid inembers longitudinally along the -unitinto less separated positions thereon. I 1

TJ The met ho'dio'f securing'the pipes of a superheater in tixcd relation which comprises assemlling in longitudinally separated positions a member on one group of said pipes arrangedto resist relative inward displacement of the pipes of a second group and aysec'o'nd member on said second group oipipes arra ged to r sist the. relatii e inward disp'lac'e'i'n'ent otth'e pipesof the first mentioned group, and then setting up bendingvstra-ins in said pipes by'iorcing said 7 members.longitudinally along the respective pipes into less separated positions thereon.

n testimony whereof, I have signed this 

